Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction [Paperback]

Martha Engber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0971534489 | ISBN-13: 978-0971534483

As Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up states, character development is the most important facet of any character-based book, because "readers won't follow for long if they find the people you're writing about dull, one-dimensional or unbelievable." After listing the three attributes of a great character, the book takes readers through a step-by-step process that teaches them how to develop characters from start to finish.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

<div>A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, Martha Engber has written about many famous peoplea ""former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos, actress Marlo Thomas, choreographer Mark Morrisa ""for such publications as the Chicago Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Inside Karate Magazine. She is also a professional editor, speaker, and workshop facilitator.</div>

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Central Avenue Press (June 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971534489
• ISBN-13: 978-0971534483
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martha Engber's literary novel, THE WIND THIEF, has been awarded a 5-star "original and highly recommended" rating from the Midwest Book Review. She is also the author of GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS FROM THE GROUND UP: A THOROUGH PRIMER FOR WRITERS OF FICTION AND NONFICTION. A journalist by profession, she's interviewed former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos, Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell, actress Marlo Thomas and other celebrities. A workshop facilitator, lecturer and book editor, she's had a full-length play produced in Hollywood. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in Watchword, Iconoclast, Bookpress, the Berkeley Fiction Review and other literary journals. She maintains Growing Great Writers From the Ground Up, a blog for writers. Martha lives with her family in Northern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Lessons for Every Writer, March 26, 2008

By 

C. L. Arndt (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction (Paperback)

Martha Engber's book is insightful and inspiring. Ms. Engber instructs with practical exercises and examples, as well as humor. She suggests creating a Think Log to jot down thoughts prompted by your character's development; what a fun way to emote about the daily challenges or triumphs when in the process of creating a character! There are many important lessons in this book. My favorite is how and why to introduce a character via his or her defining detail because "everyone has a reason for being who they are." Which reminds me why I write: to know myself.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for fiction/nonfiction writers, December 27, 2007

By 

Catherine Dix (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction (Paperback)

The most intimidating (and essential) part of writing a story is making your characters, however minor, consistent and believable. Setting the groundwork for each character's role in a story is a daunting enough task to make even the most seasoned writer freeze up. Thankfully, Martha Engber has created an easy to follow step-by-step guide on how to painlessly develop characters. She gives organization strategies that help a writer to brainstorm, encouraging us to experiment in order to flesh out the people who will occupy our story. She offers up things like the "one-sentence test" along with other invaluable exercises, tools, and examples of how to create the best possible character for your particular story.

"Growing Great Characters From the Grown Up" is written as if by a close friend offering up some pointers. Its easy style and readability is a huge plus as one will be inclined to refer to it over and over again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book For Writers, December 10, 2007

By 

A. Tracey "Budding Writer" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction (Paperback)

This is a great book for fiction writers. I received it as a gift and found it really useful. In so much fiction the characters ARE the story, and this book makes you write believable, motivated, gripping characters. I particularly liked Ms. Engber's use of uncommon examples to illustrate her points, like little Ralphie from Jean Shepherd's novel, A Christmas Story, the narrator Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird and King Kong. Also, the chapter on picking a name for your character was a standout. Who can forget character names like Huckleberry Finn and Ishmael?